A running, trotting, or pacing horse in saddle or sulky racing meets substantial resistance to movement through the air due in part to the large surface area of the horse's chest facing the direction of movement. It has been calculated that the breast area of a horse trotting or pacing at 32 miles per hour produces a "drag" of approximately 24 pounds. This is due primarily to the shape of the frontal or chest area of the horse which may occupy in the vicinity of 252 square inches or 1,626 square cm. The problem of reducing drag in this area has gone substantially unrecognized.
Improving horse "aerodynamics" has not been considered as a possible area for improvement to increase speed. Attention has been focused instead to develop optimum speed by minimizing jockey weight and the jockey's stance while riding. In the case of harness racing, much emphasis is placed on the cart weight and design to optimize speed.
Another problem confronting both saddle and harness racers is mud. Mud is kicked up by leading horses in a race and strikes the broad, breast area of the horses immediately following. This mud can build up to an uncomfortable extent over the horse's chest area. Many horses will fall back to a safe distance behind a leading horse to avoid the painful impact of mud clods and discomfort of clinging mud.
It may therefore be understood that there exists a need to "streamline" or reduce the drag of a running or trotting horse and, further, to protect the frontal chest area of the horse against buildup and impact of mud or other debris in wet racing conditions.